Welcome to Barely Legal: The Blog; This blog is run by two recent law school grads, Russ and Mike. Back when we were still law students, this was the most popular law student run blog in the world. Now, who knows what we are or what this blog is. Nevertheless, everything on this blog is uncontroverted fact, and should be interpreted as such.

Saturday, April 29, 2006

Regulators, Mount Up!

Before it even began, I knew today was going to be a good day. First, I completed my last ever in-class final exam yesterday, leaving only a six-hour take home standing between myself and the end of law school. Second, today is the NFL Draft, which I plan on watching in full. And as if it couldn't get any better, just now, when I went out to run a quick errand, the greatest rap song ever produced was on my car radio. Of course, I am talking about Regulate, by Nate Dogg and Warren G.

When listening to the radio edited lyrics, I noticed something that I never had before. During Nate Dogg's imfamous line, there was an edit. Sixteen in the clip and one in the hole, Nate Dogg is about to make some bodies turn [edit]. What? They edited the word "cold"? What is this world coming to?

I know what the radio people were thinking. "Making bodies turn cold? Why, that's murder! We can't have him talking about killing people on our airwaves! Sure, Eminem and Nate Dogg can talk all they want about bitches liking it from behind in their new song. But Nate Dogg turning bodies cold? That's where we draw the line!"

But listening to the song, I ask you, isn't the murder justified? It was self-defense. If I remember my criminal law correctly, an intervenor stands in the shoes of the party on whose behalf the intervention takes place. Warren G was getting jacked. His wealth was being taken from him, including his Rolex. He had guns to his head, and despite not believing this was happening in his own town, he believed he was going down. Warren was being threatened with deadly force, and thus was entitled to use deadly force to defend himself.

Nate Dogg was the intervenor. He came across the scene just in time. Warren G was contemplating that if he had wings he would fly, when who should appear in the cut, but his homey Nate. Nate then stepped into Warren's shoes, so to speak, and made some bodies turn cold. His killings were clearly self-defense, and therefore justified. I believe it is in the public interest to have the defense of others remain a viable option, and we should start by unediting that part of the song. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm switching my mind back in to freak mode.